First and foremost, it should be understood that what I have done with my phone and about to describe and endorse (albeit incredibly awesome) will void the warranty of your phone. Disclaimer aside, it can all be undone providing you create a backup of the stock “ROM”. For whatever reason, the community has been referring to customized operating systems as Roms, or mods, but either way, with the right rom and kernel combination, one can achieve absolutely insane performance and battery life.

Anyone who owns an EVO, or has friends or family that does, can’t deny that the battery life is absolutely abysmal. That being said, there are dozens of ways to improve it’s battery life without obtaining “root” permissions, however, without obtaining “root” the gains are minimal at best. So let’s start there.

Root access gives you “superuser” permissions for your phone. You may not know it, but your phone manufacturer has severely handcuffed you in regards to what you can do with your phone. Making full data and application backups are not as easily achieved and, in fact, impossible if you want to make a copy of downloaded market apps without having root access. Ok, I’ve danced around enough… root access gives you access to the locked data partition that resides in the ROM (I know it’s confusing, but I am using the literal definition here) which is the actual partition residing on the phone itself that holds all the OS data and application data for your system apps. You already have access to the root of your SD Card, but not to the phone, which is what you need to use some incredible applications, as well as install custom roms and custom kernels.

To obtain root, you can check any number of sites or simply google, “rooting (your phone model)”. For many phones, all you may need to do is download an app from the market called Z4 Root. To root the HTC EVO, there are several methods, but the easiest thus far has been by using an application named Unrevoked. Follow the instructions word for word and you will easily attain root for any phone.

Now that you’ve got root, what’s the point??? Well, to begin with, as soon as you attain root, you need to verify that you have a recovery installed. For the Evo, there are but two choices, Clockwork Recovery and Amon RA. Bottom line, if you have clockwork recovery, before you do anything, get rid of it. It’s absolutely terrible and has been proven NOT to perform proper cache, and dalvik cache wipes. Amon RA is bulletproof and is guaranteed to wipe anything you tell it to, without fail. So, if you’ve got clockwork recovery, the easiest thing to do is download clockwork mod from the app market and install it, simply to open it, scroll to the bottom, and click on “flash alternate recovery”. This will install Amon RA (and the fact that the developer packages his software with a competitor’s recovery ought to tell you how much faith he has in his own recovery).

Now, before moving forward, you will need to get into your recovery and create a “nandroid” backup which is an exact image of your stock operating system. Select every possible option to backup if prompted, and do it. Once you’re done, move that backup from your SD Card to your computer!!! Next, hit the xda-developer forums, or romify.com to find out which rom may suit you best, as well as bone up on your Android knowledge.

For the Evo, the best roms I’ve used (and I’ve personally flashed dozens) are VaelPak and GingerAle V4. Currently, there are no custom kernels for sense-based Gingerbread roms. However, for AOSP based roms (such as deck’s, Cyanogenmod and VaelPak 0.2) the best kernel available is called Savaged-Zen. That being said, these kernels are where you will be able to achieve the unthinkable. With these custom kernels, you are given the option to overclock/underclock and overvolt/undervolt your phone. To clarify, you can make your phone run several hundred Mhz faster or slower, while using less power than the stock rom… Using an AOSP Gingerbread rom, with Savaged Zen has been responsible for a literal doubling of my battery life, but recently, there has been a flashable script developed called vipermod, which allows you to further decrease the voltage. There have been reports of users on Deck’s GB rom who have gone 30 hours and had over 85% of their battery remaining.

All things considered, if you’re a heavy user like myself, and you are tech-savvy, eventually you will cave, get over your apprehension about possibly bricking your phone, and make the transition. Once you do that, you will appreciate all the new options and capabilities you have available. If you are considering buying, or have already pre-ordered the Evo 3D, the odds are you’ll get sick of charging your phone mid-day and end up checking out the sites I’ve listed. If you are in need of help, feel free to contact the guys at romify.com if you can’t get any help on the XDA forums. Good luck and happy flashing.

The hospital that performed the operation sent Zheng off to the Apple store after 3 days. Upon returning home the boy’s mother questioned Zheng about where he had been, where he had gotten the money for a new laptop and iPad 2, and why he had quite a scar on his side. Eventually he confessed and his mother is suing the hospital for performing the surgery. When asked to comment, the hospital’s official position is “that they have no idea what she’s talking about and vehemently deny performing the operation on her 17 year-old son. Too bad “Little Zheng” didn’t take a page out of the hospital’s book… DENY, DENY, DENY!!!

For more information about this story, please find google

Without further adieu, I give you the 5 best Android apps on Earth: (No rankings)

Launcher Pro Plus: Albeit, Launcher Pro Plus isn’t “technically” an app, it’s on the app market and referred to as an app by probably 90% of the people on earth so….

Either way, Launcher Pro Plus is a lightweight laucher replacement for your normal, stock launcher which adds a multitude of transition effects (I love the cube…) , custom widget options that are skin-able, a 3D app drawer, a scrollable dock, and endless row and column options to configure both the home screens and app drawer.

Having trouble visualizing? Check out the video on YouTube:

Next up, is Juice Defender Ultimate. Juice Defender is the far and away the best power saving application on the market. While it can take some time to get configured, but it’s well worth it. I’ve been able to squeeze a good 12+ hours of battery life out of my Evo. The feature set is insane and I could probably write a 5 page how-to on configuring it, but that’s not what this article’s about so here’s the short version: It saves power by automatically managing your radios (Cell, Data, GPS, WiFi) and allowing you to create schedules. You can even go as far as setting up dependencies based on which application you’re using. For a quick look at the settings, check out the video:

Number 4 on my list is only applicable to new parents (which I am). Baby ESP is hands down the best app for two parents on the go. Before I downloaded and installed on my Evo and my better half’s Evo Shift, there were many times that one, or both, of us forgot to give the particulars to the other as they left the house. So questions about, when was the last time the baby ate, or slept, or got a diaper, how much they ate, did you already give them a bath, etc… are all answered in Baby ESP (providing you and your spouse are willing and diligent about updating throughout the day.  By default, it syncs every 2 hours, but you can manually sync if you need to be updated more often. Screenshots say it all:

Dolphin Browser HD is hands down the best browser available on the Android market. It’s light, has tabbed browsing, more plugins than you can shake a stick at, and is flash capable. I REALLY, REALLY wish that this recommendation was for FireFox 4 for Android, but unfortunately, the FireFox team has a LOOOOONG way to go with their mobile offering. Simply put, it is far and away the WORST browser on the Android market.

Now that I’ve shown you mine, it’s time for you to show me yours. I’m sure I’ve left some out and there will be a top 5 for power users in the near future, but for the un-rooted, stock rom general public, this is my top 5, but I want to know what yours is so feel free to comment away.

The immediate answer for some may be “throw it in the dumpster behind King Soopers”… That’s not a reasonable choice. You could spend time on trying to sell them on Ebay only to find out that people aren’t even willing to pay the shipping on 10 year-old AMD based PC with 256MB of PC100 RAM. At some point, you will make peace with the fact that what’s sitting in the basement is worthless to you, and anyone you’ve tried to sell it to. When that happens, please call us to have it properly recycled.

Computer recycling can be tricky business. For every company operating by ethical computer recycling guidelines, there are 10 who feel like computer recycling should be big business. For some operations, computer recycling IS big business and if they can’t charge their customers to recycle, they want to no part of it. If they aren’t successful in charging consumers for computer recycling, they refine their approach, and look to charge local businesses for computer recycling, only to turn around and sell the computers through contacts they have overseas. If that doesn’t work, they will ship them overseas, to become fodder for the landfill.

We will ethically dispose of all your computer hardware by removing all data contained on your hard drives by performing a DOD wipe. We can also back up any data you may have and want prior to destroying all the data. Depending on the age and speed of your machine, it will be refurbished and recycled into the community to help WIC recipients, and those less fortunate who may need computers for their children entering middle school or high school. It’s our way of giving back to the community. These machines will be separate from our used computers that are available for sale.

For the parts that can’t be repurposed, we contract with EPA certified recyclers and take truckloads to them as need be. Feel free to drop by the shop, shoot us an email, or give us a call if you have any questions.

If this is any indication of the kind of trends we’re going to be seeing with mobile devices, count me way in.  We’ve seen the implementation of this function with the release of the Chase Mobile App for Android a few months ago and now it looks like PayPal is jumping on board the “pic & deposit” game.  iPhone users have had the functionality for some time and now it’s Android’s turn.  Is there anything more convenient than taking a picture of the front and backside of a check and wallah, it’s in your account a couple of days later? In addition, you did it all from the comfort of your own home, fee free.  It was only a matter of time until PayPal entered the mobile check capture scene, being that virtually most people interacting on the Internet today have a PayPal account.  That, and there’s the fact that Android’s market share is still climbing rapidly.  If you’re ready to stop doing the old drive thru thing for your deposits (for those too stubborn enough to actually get direct deposit) and you haven’t downloaded PayPal for mobile yet, then head on over to our apps database where you’ll find a QR Code available or hit up the Android Market for the download as well.  Hit the break for more screenshots of the app. Read More…

Deposit A Check Into Your PayPal Acct By Snapping A Photo Of It

Yes, you read that correctly — Pantech. They are going to be launching the Vega Racer, which will be powered by a smokin’ dual-core 1.5 GHz processor. It will launch later this month in Korea, with a 4.3-inch display that kicks 800×480 WVGA resolution, and dual cameras at 8MP / 1.3MP. I’m very excited about faster, dual-core processors, and with a 1650 mAh battery it might actually a respectable battery life. They’re also “in full swing” on tablet development, so we expect some announcements there in the near future.

Pantech Announces 1.5 GHz Dual-Core Phone, Tablet to Follow

Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) took his allotted five minutes during Thursday’s US Senate hearing on mobile privacy to lambaste Apple and Google for not removing DUI checkpoint apps from their respective stores. Udall was one of four US Senators that sent letters to Apple, Google, and RIM in late March of this year asking those companies to remove such apps in the interest of public safety.

Apps such as DUI Dodger, Buzzed, Checkpoint Wingman, and PhantomALERT allow users to  locate DUI checkpoints on a map or receive alerts when checkpoints are noted in their area. Some even suggest alternate routes, according to Udall. An iOS app called Checkpointer advertises on the App Store that it can save you “thousands of dollars by helping you avoid an arrest for a DUI.”

While RIM quickly removed such apps at the behest of Udall and his colleagues, Apple and Google are still apparently reviewing the situation. Novelli stated that Apple “abhors drunk driving” and does not want to support it. But, she said, there are differences in opinion on whether advertising where checkpoints are is inherently good or bad.

“Isn’t what these apps are doing is encouraging people to break the law?” Udall asked. Udall, along with Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Harry Reid (D-NV), Charles Schumer (D-NY), had called such apps “harmful to public safety.”

Novelli said that there are some apps which offer to call a local cab company for the user, for instance, which could be viewed as a net positive. “We are reviewing the situation and determining the best course of action in a thoughtful manner,” she said.

Google’s Davidson simply noted that apps that merely share information don’t violate the Android Marketplace policy “at this time.”

Schumer had taken the same tack at last week’s location tracking hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law. Apple and Google both said they were “looking into” the matter.

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Representatives from Facebook, Apple, Google, and the Federal Trade Commission testified on Thursday before the Senate’s Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance Subcommittee concerning privacy issues on mobile devices. The hearing follows questioning of both Apple and Google last week before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law concerning recent public revelations relating to location data collection and storage.

Testifying was director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection David Vladeck, Facebook CTO Bret Taylor, Apple VP of worldwide affairs Catherine Novelli, and Google director of public policy Alan Davidson. These four were joined by the executive director of the Association for Competitive Technology Morgan Reed and the COO of Common Sense Media Amy Shenkan. The hearing was convened by Subcommittee Chairmen Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)  and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) to understand what role the government could and should play in establishing a legislative standard to protect consumer privacy in an age where mobile devices can collect and transmit massive amounts of personal information.

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Malware on the Mac: is it mostly hype or a real problem faced by real people? If you ask John Gruber, the answer might be the former—there are lots of proof-of-concept scenarios and virtually none that manifest themselves beyond a slow news day. If you ask Ed Bott, however, the answer would be the latter—he recently interviewed an AppleCare employee who claimed that the recent release of fake antivirus app “MAC Defender” has caused a spike in malware reports among Mac users.

The truth is hard to tease out. Partly because Mac OS X still makes up a comparatively small percentage of the global OS market share, and partly because Apple itself is a secretive company, it’s not easy to find out whether malware on the Mac is indeed becoming more common, or it’s simply being reported on more often.

Still, we tried to do exactly that. Ars spoke with 14 different Mac support specialists—including several Apple Store Geniuses—in order to get a handle on whether things have changed when it comes to dealing with malware. Their experiences are all over the map, but the general consensus does seem to lean towards a low amount of malware problems—until you get to the Geniuses.

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It has been a strange week in Apple news, full of patent trolls going after independent developers, malware (or is that scareware?) making its way around on the Mac, more iPhone 5 rumors, and yet another Senate hearing. If you haven’t had time to catch up, now’s your chance:

Malware on the Mac: is there cause for concern? Ars investigates: Is malware truly becoming a problem on the Mac, or are reporters just working themselves into a frenzy? Ars interviewed 14 Mac support specialists—including Apple Store Geniuses—to find out. One thing is for certain: Apple is telling Geniuses not to acknowledge the existence of a piece of scareware known as MAC Defender—even on infected machines.

Patent troll shakes down iPhone app programmers: If your pockets aren’t deep enough to fight a corporate giant, then sue the little guys for milk money. That’s the idea behind a patent company’s legal threats against several independent iPhone app programmers rather than Apple.

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